“Other babies need time to get used to a new scent too, so we ask for your understanding.”
After delivering the precautions, the café owner went off to work, and the couple sitting at the table twisted their faces in irritation.
“So damn picky.”
“It’s just a neighborhood joint—who’s gonna come if they run it like this?”
The couple’s whispers rang vividly in Yi-hyeon’s ears, as if they were speaking right beside him. The stench of perfume was so overwhelming it felt like his nose was going numb—who doused themselves head to toe in fragrance and then brought a dog?
“Woof!”
This time, I’m it!
The Maltese claimed it was his turn, clamping the toy with his tiny mouth and wagging his tail vigorously right in front of Yi-hyeon, who had been momentarily distracted.
Thinking that anyone who raised a companion dog should at least learn basic pet etiquette first, Yi-hyeon wrinkled the bridge of his nose and glanced toward the couple. At that moment, the Maltese barked brightly, urging him to hurry up and play.
“Woof woof!”
As if declaring it was Yi-hyeon’s turn to chase, the Maltese wiggled his round little butt and took off running.
At that instant, thunderous footsteps rang out, as if a cavalry unit were charging through. When Yi-hyeon turned around, he saw the couple’s dog—the one that had entered with them—baring bluish-white fangs as it lunged straight toward the Maltese.
They had clearly been asked to keep the leash on for ten minutes, but the couple had immediately removed the harness and didn’t care whether their dog trampled over other dogs or not.
Yelp! Yel—! Woof woof woof!
The irritation of dogs and owners mixed together, and the café descended into chaos in an instant.
“Woof woof!”
Seeing the dog chasing the Maltese, Yi-hyeon barked too. The Maltese, who had been glancing back, dropped the toy he’d been holding and darted into a corner. Yi-hyeon planted himself in front of the hole the Maltese had hidden in, blocking it with his backside, and bared his tiny canines as he growled.
As if its target had been the toy from the start, the dog that had been chasing the Maltese stopped and picked up the plush that had fallen to the floor.
Clenching the toy in its mouth, it shook its head savagely, just like a real hunt.
The plump bee plush was torn to shreds by sharp fangs, ripped apart into pieces. Watching the stuffing scatter everywhere, Yi-hyeon felt an inexplicable chill crawl up his spine. And that feeling wasn’t wrong.
Not long after, complaints came in about the couple’s dog, which they weren’t supervising at all, and the staff had no choice but to ask them to leave.
“We’ve received complaints from other tables.”
There hadn’t been a bite incident yet, but the dog showed clear nipping behavior, and the owners were too busy playing games on their phones to care. As if knocking over and stepping on other puppies weren’t enough, the dog destroyed every toy it could get its mouth on and even tried to steal food from customers’ tables—yet the so-called guardians didn’t spare it a single glance.
In the end, most of the customers who had brought their dogs voiced their displeasure and left the café, leaving behind only the dogs entrusted for care. Afraid that things would escalate into a serious accident, the owner finally decided to enforce an expulsion.
“I’m sorry, but basic supervision needs to be handled by the guardian—”
“Yes, yes.”
“We are doing it.”
The couple replied dismissively, not even looking at the staff member. When the employee refused to back down and firmly demanded that they leave, the couple—apparently oblivious to the fact that they were causing trouble—flew into a rage, completely turning the tables.
“Then you should’ve told us to leave before we ordered coffee. We already paid—who leaves after that?”
“We clearly informed you before entry that dogs showing biting or mounting behavior might not be allowed. You said there was no biting, but your dog has shown threatening behavior toward other dogs multiple times.”
“What, we even bought overpriced coffee just so our kid could run around, and you keep telling us to watch him or not watch him. Isn’t that your job?”
“Being staff doesn’t make us immune to getting bitten. We’re trying to prevent an accident before it happens, so please understand. And as we mentioned earlier, we’ll refund the full amount upon exit.”
“Refund my ass—our dog doesn’t bite!”
At the man’s booming, unpleasant voice, the remaining customers frowned.
“You charge four thousand won for coffee that tastes like crap, then kick out customers who haven’t even been sitting for ten minutes—what kind of mindset is that?”
“It’s a regulation to prevent accidents. As explained at the start, we’ll fully refund your payment.”
“Do I look like a beggar? You think I’m doing this because of money? It’s about how pissed off I feel—how filthy my mood is!”
Even as they argued with the owner, they continued to abandon their dog. Curled up in a corner, the couple’s dog rolled its eyes, tracking the other puppies running around.
It wasn’t surveillance—it felt like selecting prey. Yi-hyeon couldn’t tear his gaze away from that dog.
“Seriously, some people have no basic manners. Minnie, let’s go home.”
Even the last remaining customer stood up and called to their dog. At that, the adorable black-bean-like puppy sparkled his eyes, dropped the toy from his mouth, and ran to his guardian.
An accident always happened in the blink of an eye.
“Grrr, woong!”
From a low stance, the couple’s dog rose and surged forward with momentum, charging at the black puppy.
Yi-hyeon, who had been watching the dog the entire time, shot forward like an arrow and blocked its path. He barked loudly so the staff would notice. Even so, the dog didn’t stop—it gaped its jaws wide and lunged for Yi-hyeon’s neck.
“Oh my goodness!”
“Aaah!”
Was it a reckless move?
Yi-hyeon was still in a small body that hadn’t even grown into adulthood yet. Just as the thought crossed his mind that if Louis’s body were seriously injured, the guilt would be unbearable, he felt a warm presence envelop him completely.
Catching a familiar, faint scent, and feeling no pain at all, he carefully opened the eyes he’d squeezed shut in terror.
What he saw made Yi-hyeon freeze in shock.
Han Jun was clutching him tightly, his face pale with alarm. At that moment, Yi-hyeon’s large, round eyes filled with tears, and the stiffness in his hind legs melted away. His heart pounded like mad, and a tingling tremor surged through his entire body.
“Are you okay? You’re not hurt anywhere, right?”
As Yi-hyeon nodded with tearful eyes at Han Jun’s trembling voice, he spotted it—Han Jun’s arm, bitten in his place by the couple’s dog.
Blood dripped steadily from the wound where white fangs were embedded.
“Woof, woof!”
J-Jun!
The moment he realized, shock and worry surged, and he tried to shout Han Jun’s name—but what burst from his throat was only the tiny, anguished barking of a puppy.
When the dog clamped onto Han Jun’s arm shook its head violently, Han Jun let out a short groan and grabbed a stainless steel cup from the nearby table, slamming it to the floor.
Clang!
Despite the deafening noise echoing through the café, the dog didn’t let go. Seeing the fangs sunk deep into Han Jun’s arm, Yi-hyeon panicked—then leapt from Han Jun’s arms and clamped his small teeth down hard on the dog’s tail.
Let go of Han Jun, now, you bastard!
Only then did the dog flinch, releasing his arm and staggering backward.
The couple, who had been arrogantly insisting their dog had never bitten anyone, rushed over with faces drained of color. Clear bite marks stood out on Han Jun’s arm, a dark bruise already blooming.
Even so, Han Jun didn’t spare his own injury a glance. He hurriedly scooped Yi-hyeon up with his uninjured arm, twisted his body, and completely shielded Yi-hyeon from the violent dog’s line of sight. Then he spoke to the approaching couple in a low, heavy voice.
“Settlement? Don’t even think about it.”
“You’re the one who suddenly jumped in and got bitten—what settlement are you talking about!”
The argument dragged on. At the man’s aggressive shouting, Yi-hyeon was reminded of his father from the past—scolding him, swinging his fists.
He curled up, trembling uncontrollably, and it seemed that tremor transmitted directly through Han Jun’s skin.
“Lower your voice. Don’t you know dogs’ ears are sensitive? Someone who doesn’t know a damn thing about companion dogs has no business raising one.”
“What? You little punk—how dare you glare at an adult like that!”
“Respect is earned by adults who act like adults. You’ve got less sense than a dog, and you want to be called an adult? If you hate people looking down on you that much, maybe try growing taller.”
“You little shit—what did you say?”
In the end, even the police were called.
